Wash. U. 2011

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Dr Durden said:
For those only almost but not completely broke, who's pumped for tomorrow's festivities? :D
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Hells yeah. Packing up right now.
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have a fun weekend everyone!
 
Did anyone receive confirmation that you had submitted your essay for the scholarships?
 
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Sorry to hear that Humble. Thanks for responding. What did you think of 2nd Look? I had a blast!
 
Everyone make it back safe and sound? Anyone still recovering? ;)
 
Definitely in the "still recovering" category, lol. I had a blast though :D

So -- who's decided on WashU for sure?
 
second look weekend really made me rethink first impressions. when i interviewed it was during exams so the students were standoffish and the only students i met were really really weird and introverted and blatantly just came for the free pizza. this weekend made me realize how fun the MS1 class really is and how ppl could actually have lives outside of medical school. too bad financial aid wasn't all that great to me too. it was kinda funny to see cliques already starting to form among second look people.
 
Ugh, I just barely missed the MetroLink and security took so long this morning that I missed my flight, which made me miss my connection... to make a long story short, rather than a 1-hour layover in Cincinnati, I had an 8-hour layover. :thumbdown: Well, at any rate, I'm back in Charlottesville and going crazy with the amount of work I still need to do.

However! Second Look was so much fun, and now I'm completely on the fence between Duke and WashU. EBI831, I totally agree with you about the standoffishness at interviews versus the friendliness at Second Look, although for me it seemed to apply more to my fellow prospectives than to the current students.

Also, I feel about 10 pounds heavier than when I arrived in St. Louis. It was horrible: they couldn't stop feeding us, and I couldn't stop eating it.
 
I made it back to MIA alive lol, still jetlagged almost couldn't get up for work this morning :thumbdown:. I had an awesome time. I didn't expect it would be soo much fun. I was pretty sure I was going to attend WashU before the second look, now there is no doubt.
 
Did anyone hear anything about scholarships over the weekend? Any checks handed out like Humble suggested?:D
 
All I heard was that awardees would be notified "soon."

I had a blast at Second Look, and I feel really excited about WashU (I wonder how many of you I actually met?). Although, I did end up leaving for the airport while people were still rolling in to the hotel from the party. I hope my liver can take med school. ;)

I have at least one more revist to attend before I make my decision, but WashU will be a hard act to follow.
 
I got a very special phone call today, guys. :love:

I believe they have a ranked list of the finalists and are offering scholarships starting today. I was so impressed by WashU and everyone I met this past weekend. I have been literally shaking all day, I am so excited! I hope I will be seeing you all (again!) in a few months!!!




(P.S. I really feel awkward telling people this stuff, especially a whole bunch of strangers on the not-so-anonymous internet, but you all have been so helpful with sharing information :thumbup: , and I know that I would have wanted to know as soon as someone had some notice.)
 
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monday_best said:
I got a very special phone call today, guys. :love:

I believe they have a ranked list of the finalists and are offering scholarships starting today. I was so impressed by WashU and everyone I met this past weekend. I have been literally shaking all day, I am so excited! I hope I will be seeing you all (again!) in a few months!!!




(P.S. I really feel awkward telling people this stuff, especially a whole bunch of strangers on the not-so-anonymous internet, but you all have been so helpful with sharing information :thumbup: , and I know that I would have wanted to know as soon as someone had some notice.)
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Congratulations Monday :D I am very happy for you :). I guess I will see you again in the fall lol. :laugh:
 
monday_best said:
I got a very special phone call today, guys. :love:

I believe they have a ranked list of the finalists and are offering scholarships starting today. I was so impressed by WashU and everyone I met this past weekend. I have been literally shaking all day, I am so excited! I hope I will be seeing you all (again!) in a few months!!!




(P.S. I really feel awkward telling people this stuff, especially a whole bunch of strangers on the not-so-anonymous internet, but you all have been so helpful with sharing information :thumbup: , and I know that I would have wanted to know as soon as someone had some notice.)
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Congratulations to you. That's awesome! At least I can stop thinking about it now...
 
monday_best said:
I got a very special phone call today, guys. :love:

I believe they have a ranked list of the finalists and are offering scholarships starting today. I was so impressed by WashU and everyone I met this past weekend. I have been literally shaking all day, I am so excited! I hope I will be seeing you all (again!) in a few months!!!




(P.S. I really feel awkward telling people this stuff, especially a whole bunch of strangers on the not-so-anonymous internet, but you all have been so helpful with sharing information :thumbup: , and I know that I would have wanted to know as soon as someone had some notice.)
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Congratulations! This should hopefully bring some clarity on the decision process for you.
 
HumbleMD said:
Congratulations! This should hopefully bring some clarity on the decision process for you.
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You bet; I withdrew from my other schools today. I wish everyone good luck with their decisions, but I really hope you guys are coming to WashU too. :)
 
:clap: Congrats on the scholarship monday_best! :clap:

I'm sure we're all curious, which one did you get? How long did you get to make up your mind, even though it seems you've already decided?
 
Just wanted to remind you that plenty of WUSTL students are available to answer any non-mechanical questions you might have. PM's might be better; I can't seem to figure out how to get this "Subscribe" thing to work.
 
monday_best said:
I got a very special phone call today, guys. :love:

I believe they have a ranked list of the finalists and are offering scholarships starting today. I was so impressed by WashU and everyone I met this past weekend. I have been literally shaking all day, I am so excited! I hope I will be seeing you all (again!) in a few months!!!




(P.S. I really feel awkward telling people this stuff, especially a whole bunch of strangers on the not-so-anonymous internet, but you all have been so helpful with sharing information :thumbup: , and I know that I would have wanted to know as soon as someone had some notice.)
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That is awesome. Congratz!:love: :love: :love:
And thanks for posting--now I can stop checking my cell phone like paranoid:laugh:
 
Dr Durden said:
:clap: Congrats on the scholarship monday_best! :clap:

I'm sure we're all curious, which one did you get? How long did you get to make up your mind, even though it seems you've already decided?
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I PM'ed you, Dr Durden. If anyone else has specific questions about the award, they can feel free to PM me. Thanks! :)
 
Hey everyone, just to let you all know, I called the admissions office today to ask when we could expect to hear about merit scholarships. And she said that they will be emailing us the first week of May to tell us if we did or did not receive a scholarship.
 
Did they show you the dorms last weekend? how were they? I didnt get to see it on my visit.

I'm moving down there in june to stay there for the summer, trying to decide whether to stay in the dorms or an apt.
 
I don't think any undergrad dorm I've ever seen was as crappy as Olin Hall. Definitely get an apartment; they're within walking distance and reasonably priced.
 
that bad?? :(

the single suite sounded so good! free AC, all utilities paid except for cable TV.. game room w/ pool, ping pong.. a nice gym in the building..

what was so bad?
 
The BATHROOM lol. If you can live with that, its great I guess. Keep in mind that St. Louis is very affordable for housing compared to places like NY and Miami. Because of this I see no reason in sharing a bathroom with the whole floor, I'm just going to get an apartment.
 
ahhh... but the suites have their own bathrooms, and I'd definitely pick up a suite if I live in the dorm.
 
vector07 said:
ahhh... but the suites have their own bathrooms, and I'd definitely pick up a suite if I live in the dorm.
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Trouble is, you can't get a suite unless you've lived in Olin for at least on year (says that somewhere in the housing stuff they sent us). And I talked to a current first year who wanted a suite as a second year and still didn't get it --> I wouldn't bank my hopes on that private bathroom, vector...:p
 
vector07 said:
ahhh... but the suites have their own bathrooms, and I'd definitely pick up a suite if I live in the dorm.
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Yeah I thought the same, but the housing contract clearly says you are not eligible for a suite unless you have lived in Olin for a full academic year :(.
 
DOH!

even for a summer contract? Guess I should call them..
 
1st year WashU student here -- just wanted to see if you guys had heard anything about the loan capping. In some committee meetings, I've heard that the administration has been working on/considering capping the max debt that a grad will leave with (~$80k). Now, when I heard this there was no date attached to it.

At second look, a prospective student said that the same thing was mentioned in a financial aid meeting they'd gone through. I bring this up for: 1) those of you still considering the school but worried about the money, and 2) I'd love to know if this is true and whether or not they'll apply that same rule for the current students. Cause that'd be kinda nice.

Oh, and the schedule this block is magnificent...the older students have been wistfully recounting this block all year, and I can see why. We have class generally 8:30-3ish on M,T,Th, and 8:30-12 W,F. Some of our morning classes and labs are optional, and the afternoon stuff is kind of optional, too, though it's good stuff that will be useful in the future.

Ohh, and about the dorms: personally, I'm really low-maintenance and don't like keeping up with things like paying bills, cleaning the bathroom, taking out the trash, etc. More importantly, I love the community in the dorms -- talking with my classmates, the transition at the beginning of the year was much easier for those in the dorms. There's a great mix of other students, too, from some of the other grad programs here, plus those passing through for a month or two. If you've got any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer any you guys might have. I don't really sign on very often, though, so you might need to PM me to catch my attention.

Cheers!
 
GoodEats said:
I've heard that the administration has been working on/considering capping the max debt that a grad will leave with (~$80k).
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another current student here (ms3). i don't get loans but a fellow ms3 friend does. he got a letter earlier this year saying that his (and i'm assuming everyone who is currently in attendence) loans will be capped at ~80k. It apparently is retroactive, because he's definitely taken out more than that up to now. So the news looks like it's good financial aid-wise :)
 
Syranope2 said:
another current student here (ms3). i don't get loans but a fellow ms3 friend does. he got a letter earlier this year saying that his (and i'm assuming everyone who is currently in attendence) loans will be capped at ~80k. It apparently is retroactive, because he's definitely taken out more than that up to now. So the news looks like it's good financial aid-wise :)
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Woah...so what does mean exactly? Does the rest get covered by grants? You think that this would be something that they would be pushing as a major plus in recruiting to currently accepted students such as myself. However, this is the first I've heard of it. I think I am going to call the financial aid office tomorrow and see how much validity there is to this and if it applies to every accepted student, or what kind of stipulations there might be. Any other info that others have on this would be very interesting to me. If I could graduate from WashU with only 80,000 in debt garaunteed, that would make up my mind (I am still choosing where I will go) and I will be in St. Louis in the fall.
 
gopherthegold said:
Woah...so what does mean exactly? Does the rest get covered by grants? You think that this would be something that they would be pushing as a major plus in recruiting to currently accepted students such as myself. However, this is the first I've heard of it. I think I am going to call the financial aid office tomorrow and see how much validity there is to this and if it applies to every accepted student, or what kind of stipulations there might be. Any other info that others have on this would be very interesting to me. If I could graduate from WashU with only 80,000 in debt garaunteed, that would make up my mind (I am still choosing where I will go) and I will be in St. Louis in the fall.
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The 80,000 cap is on need-based loans. Any other loans (such as those covering your EFC) are not included in that total.
 
brazilary said:
The 80,000 cap is on need-based loans. Any other loans (such as those covering your EFC) are not included in that total.
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Yup I figured that out last night right after I posted and shut my computer down. I went back to look at my Financial Aid award and sure enough, I was getting 20k per year in loans, but then I still have to cover my EFC with additional loans.
 
brazilary said:
The 80,000 cap is on need-based loans. Any other loans (such as those covering your EFC) are not included in that total.
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True. Also, as far as I know it's not retroactive ... ie, I borrowed more than $20K my first year, so I expect to graduate with more than $80K in debt, but at least I know that I won't rack up more than $20K/year from now on.

Of course, this doesn't make any difference to those of you enrolling now ... Good things come to those who wait, I guess. :)
 
Hey all
This is probably directed towards the actual WUStL med students, but maybe one of y'all knows the answer. I'm in the process of shopping for a laptop for the fall, and was wondering if WUStL has any requirements or recommendations towards computers that would be helpful to know when deciding. Thanks...
 
Have some people still not heard anything, one way or the other, about the merit scholarships?
 
JackofAllTrades said:
Have some people still not heard anything, one way or the other, about the merit scholarships?
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I have not heard anything, but like I said awhile back, I called the office and they said all information would go out the first week of May, so keep your fingers crossed!
 
I also haven't heard anything. Regardless of their decision though, I'm so ready for this all to be over.
 
So I got my letter from WashU today...I was not accepted for a merit scholarship, but I am on the merit scholarship Alternate List. They will let me know by the end of May....I wonder how this works....can I still hold two spots then or do I have to just decide based on a maybe? Weird, I'm going to call them tomorrow and see what my options are.

Good luck everyone!
 
gopherthegold said:
So I got my letter from WashU today...I was not accepted for a merit scholarship, but I am on the merit scholarship Alternate List. They will let me know by the end of May....I wonder how this works....can I still hold two spots then or do I have to just decide based on a maybe? Weird, I'm going to call them tomorrow and see what my options are.

Good luck everyone!
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At least you still have a chance :), good luck. I'm officially going to WashU, I just dropped the last acceptance I was holding, no turning back now :D
 
gopherthegold did they tell u anything about holding spots ie one school by may 15th if you are an alternate for a merit scholarship? i just got word today after getting a random letter a month ago saying i wasn't a finalist...go figure. perhaps this has something to do with the fact that i called to withdraw and they told me to wait it out and see til may 15th b/c i was an alternate...this was after i told them i had a full ride elsewhere and couldn't come to washu. what do u all make of this? i think it's complicating things wheni was just about to breathe easy.
 
hey everybody,
i'm still deciding b/t yale and wash u but, unfortunately, could not attend either of the second looks.
i'd love to hear people's impressions after wash u's second look and any input from current students:
i've heard that wash u has better clinical years (b/c of the quality of the hospital), but am a bit worried about its competitive reputation. the gradeless yale system sounds nice, but i'm a bit turned off by the thesis requirement.
i'm from st. louis, so i have no problem with wash u's location.
until this point i was leaning wash u, but i keep hearing wonderful things about the quality of life at yale...


any feedback would be really helpful -
thanks!
 
Helsabot, I had the same concerns as you going into Second Look, and when I left WashU at the end of the weekend, they were my first choice.

Current students can definitely comment on this better than I can, but I got the impression (and was told over and over) that, at least during first year when grading is P/F, students are actively collaborative and pretty easy-going. The first years I met seemed to have a decent amount of free time to be involved in ECs and life outside of school, and they seemed to value that time and each other a whole lot. A lot of them play on IM teams, train regularly, are really involved in student groups...

I hear things get a bit tougher second year, because of the amount of new material/class time and that's when grading (H/HP/P/F) starts. But, I don't think there are any limits on how many people can get Honors in a course during second year, so I'm not sure this affects much. The second years have found time to put on a musical these past two years, which leads me to believe you can manage to keep some protected free time as a second year as well depending on your academic goals.

No idea on third year and how competitive it is, but I was really impressed with how relaxed, personable, and kind everyone I met seemed to be (prospective and current students). Sure, the students that were participating in the weekend would tend to be the ones who are enjoying themselves the most, but pretty much every student I met expressed geniune enthusiasm to me about being a student at WashU.

Anyway, both are great choices (and New Haven isn't all that bad). Good luck with your decision. I'm definitely going to be at WashU come August. :)
 
EBI831 said:
gopherthegold did they tell u anything about holding spots ie one school by may 15th if you are an alternate for a merit scholarship? i just got word today after getting a random letter a month ago saying i wasn't a finalist...go figure. perhaps this has something to do with the fact that i called to withdraw and they told me to wait it out and see til may 15th b/c i was an alternate...this was after i told them i had a full ride elsewhere and couldn't come to washu. what do u all make of this? i think it's complicating things wheni was just about to breathe easy.
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Hey, they just told me to hold tight as long as I could and that I can still not violate the AAMC trafficking laws and must only hold one acceptance and that they hoped that it would be them. That is all that they could really say though. She tried to give me hints about where on the list I was, but she had no idea on average how many people come off of it. Some years it's none, some years it's many she said.
 
Helsabot said:
hey everybody,
i'm still deciding b/t yale and wash u but, unfortunately, could not attend either of the second looks.
i'd love to hear people's impressions after wash u's second look and any input from current students:
i've heard that wash u has better clinical years (b/c of the quality of the hospital), but am a bit worried about its competitive reputation. the gradeless yale system sounds nice, but i'm a bit turned off by the thesis requirement.
i'm from st. louis, so i have no problem with wash u's location.
until this point i was leaning wash u, but i keep hearing wonderful things about the quality of life at yale...


any feedback would be really helpful -
thanks!
Click to expand...

current wash u ms3 here. i'm not sure why wash u has a reputation for being all competitive-y, because we're really not. my class, at least, is very laid back and chill. we maybe (maybe) have 3-4 gunners in the class. During preclinical years everybody was very collegial, making and sharing study guides, posting old exams on our forum page, etc. even when you start having h/hp/p in second year, the attitude of the students doesn't change. there's no set number of students that get each grade.

the only real competition i feel is with myself. i want to do well and get good grades, so i push myself because of that. there is no real external pressure.

i think a lot of schools are like this and i don't pretend that wash u is special in this or anything, but i just don't want you to think that we're super gunner-ish or anything just because of some reputation that's going around.

pm me if you have any questions
syranope
 
Alternative listed as well. Oh great... looks like I'll just have to hold on until good ol' May 15th.
 
500free said:
Hey all
This is probably directed towards the actual WUStL med students, but maybe one of y'all knows the answer. I'm in the process of shopping for a laptop for the fall, and was wondering if WUStL has any requirements or recommendations towards computers that would be helpful to know when deciding. Thanks...
Click to expand...

Nada. A bunch of my classmates don't have laptops and I don't think they've noticed any problems. I have one and never bring it to class. A few people have tablets and I see them using them in class but i've never really been able to understand the utility of a tablet myself (could be because I don't take notes ever).
 
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